Recovered alcoholic launches Go Sober program in Longmont

Longmont resident Greg Hoffman had his first drink when he was about 13-years-old.

A friend suggested breaking into his dad's liquor cabinet where Hoffman found more than just a bottle of whiskey. He discovered an addiction that would plague him for decades.

Hoffman drank regularly at weekend parties in high school, but things were looking up in college when he put down the booze to focus on competitive rowing. It wasn't until graduate school that Hoffman found himself relying on the large can of beer that he drank every day on his drive home.

One beer lead to two, which lead to a vodka pre-party and, eventually, a driving under the influence arrest.

"I guess I knew I had a problem then but didn't really do anything about it," Hoffman said.

Divorce, failed relationships and job loss filled the next several years pushing Hoffman to seek help.

He tried 12-step programs and rehabilitation centers. Sometimes he would go days or even weeks without drinking, but the cravings always came back.

"On my way home from rehab, I stopped at the liquor store, got a drink and then went to an AA meeting," Hoffman said.

Three months later, while Hoffman was throwing up in his bathroom — feeling sick had become part of his morning routine — he realized he had become just like his dad.

"My dad drank himself to death, and I didn't want to be my dad," Hoffman said. "I saw that I was heading down the same path and I was going to kill myself."

Hoffman began researching alternative methods to the programs that, he said, didn't treat the "thinking about the drinking," which was the hardest part of quitting. His research found that some were finding success with medications aimed at treating a neurological condition caused by excessive drinking.

Greg Hoffman moved to Longmont in July to launch an alcohol treatment program, Go Sober, inspired by his own struggle with drinking. (Matthew Jonas / Longmont Times-Call)

After several discussions and an evaluation, Hoffman's doctor gave him three infusions of medication that treated his condition and killed the cravings.

"It made sense, finally," Hoffman said.

More than six years later, Hoffman said he has not had a drink or even a craving since the infusions, and now he's on a mission to help others find the same success.

Hoffman launched an alcohol treatment program called Go Sober that uses a regimen of medications and healthy habits to kick the cravings.

"I didn't understand why a rational person wouldn't stop doing something that is so irrational," Hoffman said. "But we believe there is a neurophysiological condition that needs to be treated.

"It's not that people don't have the will power to quit," he said. "There's literally a disconnect in their brain that's keeping them from quitting cold turkey."

Alcohol boosts dopamine in the brain, which produces happy feelings and leads to cravings when those feelings aren't there, said Longmont Dr. Glenda Weeman, who is working with Go Sober.

Go Sober uses Gabapentin, which is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for alcohol treatment, to restore the brain's ability to produce dopamine naturally, said Weeman, who works at Longmont Integrative Family Practice.

Gabapentin is used in hospitals across the country to reverse the effects of anesthesia, Weeman said, but has not been approved by the FDA for use in addiction treatments.

"It's not an experimental drug," she said. "It's just being used for a new purpose."

The drug blocks the receptors in the part of the brain that controls addiction, removing the client's dependence on alcohol, Weeman said. But treatment does not end there.

"It's not just about addictive substance but the other effects that it has on your life," Weeman said. "We can kill the cravings, but that doesn't stop the reason why the bottle goes to the lips."

After the medication is administered, the six-week program leads clients through nearly 40 hours of counseling, nutrition, exercise and stress management treatments intended to help clients feel better physically and emotionally — a feeling that only alcohol used to provide, said Cathy Carter, Go Sober's director of client services.

"We're stacking the deck in their favor," Carter said.

Treatments are administered by local experts, like Weeman, who work with Hoffman and Carter to develop a plan for each client.

Hoffman launched the program in California, where he used to live, in March of 2011 before moving to Longmont with Carter in July. About 20 clients completed the program in California.

Dana Slater, a resident of Garden Grove, Calif., started the program in August of 2012 after drinking for close to 40 years.

Slater, 63, said he was drinking an 18-pack of beer every day when he found Go Sober online and began treatment.

After the second day of infusions, Slater said, he felt like "a million bucks."

Since completing the program, Slater has not experienced any cravings or withdrawal symptoms, he said. It seems almost too good to be true.

"I can't believe it myself," Slater said. "It was 40 years of drinking and then it was just done."

While the program has been effective for some, it is not for everyone, Carter said.

Most successful clients have exhausted more traditional options and are looking for a way to remove alcohol from their lives forever.

Clients have to be motivated to quit, Hoffman said, or they won't be able to complete the psychological portions of the program, which are vital to a client's success.

The program costs roughly $9,000, which is similar to the cost of a DUI in California, according to the program website.

Go Sober is accepting Colorado patients but has not had any local clients so far, Hoffman said.

Weeman said Gabapentin and Go Sober's model could work for drug addicts also since alcohol and drug addictions affect the same part of the brain.

The model is still new but, Weeman said, it could be the future of addiction treatment.

"We're all looking for the happiness factor in our lives, and this program puts the power back in the hands of the addict," Weeman said. "We'll get you past the cravings with the drug and then you have to focus on being happy."

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